January in Review

We started the month sharing a pancake breakfast with friends . . .  with eleven kids ages eight and under, the seven adults actually got in some decent adult conversation!

Happy Anniversary to us!  14 years later . . . he's still my favorite.

One of the best sounds is hearing my children read to each other. 

A quick trip to see Kaye K and Big Daddy!  I was grateful to join Mom and Dad for the devotion time at their work on Monday morning.  Samaritan's Purse begins every day with a staff-led devotion and time of prayer.  Mom got to share on Monday and I was so grateful to hear her speak clear words of truthful encouragement to the hundreds in the room.

Our drive home was a bit delayed . . .

. . . and not just by flat tires!  The fog was intense! 

Bridgette's annual bought with croup hit over the weekend.  Thankfully, this year's case didn't require a visit to the hospital, and she has made a full recovery.

Field trip to the Natural History Museum.  Gretchen was mesmerized by the jewels, gems, and minerals. . . especially the Hope Diamond!

I'd been wanting to see the IMAX show about the National Parks.  It was Bridgette's first 3D experience and we all giggled with her as she adjusted to the feeling of having things fly in her face! 

Gretchen started a ballet/tap class!  Providentially, Auntie Auby called just as we were trying to get dressed for her first class, and things were not going well.  Aubyn's suggestion of lip gloss being the final touch was just what our little ballerina needed to pull everything together and get out the door!

   

Field trip to the Kennedy Center for an instrument "petting zoo" and performance by the NSO tubaist and percussionist.

Silly String Fight!!

Happy Chinese New Year!  We spent the week learning about Chinese New Year.  After church on Sunday, we walked to Chinatown for lunch and a parade.  We ate at a restaurant where Ryan and I ate during our training twelve years ago before moving to China!  

Warming up in Union Station on our walk back.

We participated in Read Aloud Revival's daily reading challenge.  Everyone met their goal of reading out loud each day (mostly!) in January, so we celebrated with a trip to Sweet Frog.

Happy Birthday Rooke

We celebrated Rooke's ninth birthday this month!  Like Gretchen, Rooke has been blessed with many good friends since moving here.  We were excited to plan a party for him!  But after Gretchen's party of 6-8-year-old girls, I was determined we could not host a party of 8-10-year-old boys in our home!  So we took a few friends to a trampoline park and then got burgers afterwards at a place Rooke's been wanting to try.  It was a birthday party success!  For his actual birthday, we laid low and let Rooke call most of the shots, which included yummy meals and staying close to home with legos, books, and football highlights.  Steve and Vallerie joined us for some birthday cake and Rooke was blessed with presents from friends and family far and near.  It was a good day to turn nine in our home!  

Birthday morning breakfast

An afternoon walk

 In keeping with our tradition, Rooke designed his own cake.  This year, he did most of the decorating, too!

Happy Birthday, Rooke!  We love you! 

Christmas with Grammy Deb and G-Daddy!

Grammy Deb and G-Daddy came to spend Christmas week with us!  

We were so glad they made the trip up and tried to make the most of our time together.

The day after they arrived was Christmas Eve and we declared it pajama day!  We relaxed and hung out for most of the day.  G-Daddy took the girls for a walk and they loved going in their pajamas!

Christmas Eve night we went to a drive-though lights display.  Bridgette was thrilled to get to sit in Ryan's lap up front for the slow drive through the lights.

Grammy Deb has kept up with the tradition of giving the grandkids pajamas for Christmas Eve.  We look forward to those each year!

Christmas morning stockings!

Our Christmas miracle: the kids were ready for church early (and had time to play a game of Daddy Says!)

After church, we came home for a nice lunch.  Yes, we made the kids wait that long to open presents. They did great.

And then the presents began.  So much fun to see so much excitement!  

Gretchen asked for "fake glasses" - ha!  I'm glad she wants to be like her daddy =)

After Christmas Day, we spent time doing some sight-seeing.  We went to the State House in Annapolis, drove across the Bay Bridge, and had lunch at the Boatyard Bar and Grill.

Photobomb guy cracks me up!

We drove back into town to see the National Christmas Tree, which I have to say was a little disappointing.  It was mostly just a BUNCH of lights.  The trains were a fun surprise and cool to watch, and I liked seeing the different trees decorated by each state.

The next day was declared our "Downtown Day".  Kevin and Deborah have been to DC many times, but they were excited to spend another day exploring with us.  We started at the National Archives to check out their family day activities, and ran into friends!

After lunch we popped into the National Gallery to see a few paintings before heading out to catch Uncle Steve's trolley.

My Uncle is a driving tour guide on a trolley bus and his tours are fantastic!  We were so glad it worked out to catch his trolley and ride with him for a while.  

We hopped off the trolley at the Lincoln Memorial.  It was Rooke's first visit.  He's looking forward to going back when there aren't so many people.  The girls are clearly soaking it all in - ha!

Our final stop of the day was the Kennedy Center.  A little coffee, a little treat, and we were ready for a free performance on the Millennium stage: a Celtic Christmas.  The show was great!  Celtic dancers and a four-person ensemble that played Irish music as if they've been jamming together forever.  

It was a memorable week spent with family (including the early anniversary date!).